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The Truth About Cars is dedicated to providing candid, unbiased automobile reviews and the latest in auto industry news.Mon, 23 Feb 2015 16:00:09 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1The Truth About Cars is dedicated to providing candid, unbiased automobile reviews and the latest in auto industry news.The Truth About CarsnoThe Truth About Carseditors@ttac.comeditors@ttac.com (The Truth About Cars)2006-2009The Truth About CarsThe Truth About Cars is dedicated to providing candid, unbiased automobile reviews and the latest in auto industry news.The Truth About Cars » gmc canyonhttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/themes/ttac-theme/images/logo.gifhttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com
New Colorado And Canyon Are Now Worthwhile Parts Of GM’s U.S. Lineuphttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/02/new-colorado-canyon-now-worthwhile-parts-gms-u-s-lineup/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/02/new-colorado-canyon-now-worthwhile-parts-gms-u-s-lineup/#commentsTue, 10 Feb 2015 13:12:57 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=995770Although General Motors’ full-size truck twins failed to outsell the Ford F-Series in January 2015, GM still came out on top as the best-selling truck manufacturer in America last month. In the previous five months, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra had accomplished this feat on their own, outselling the F-Series by 939 units in […]

]]>Although General Motors’ full-size truck twins failed to outsell the Ford F-Series in January 2015, GM still came out on top as the best-selling truck manufacturer in America last month.

In the previous five months, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra had accomplished this feat on their own, outselling the F-Series by 939 units in August 2014, 7076 in September, 2120 in October, 6294 in November, and 6918 units in December 2014. (The F-Series outsold the Silverado/Sierra by 12,263 units in calendar year 2014 and the total GM pickup truck family by 1045 units.)

• Colorado/Canyon sales steadily rising

• 14 of GM pickup sales generated by midsize trucks

• Still not approaching historic levels

Fast forward to January, when pickup truck volume jumped 22% year-over-year and the F-Series’ core F-150 line became more available in new aluminum-intensive form, and GM’s bigger set of twins fell 5643 sales short of overtaking the F-Series for a sixth consecutive month. But viewed as a full-line pickup truck manufacturer, GM’s 42% YOY improvement to nearly 57,000 sales was more than enough to fend off Ranger-less Ford.

That oranges-to-clementines comparison is hardly the point, however. Rather, the significant story is that GM’s midsize trucks – their big small trucks – made a significant difference to GM’s total monthly sales output last month. Including the Colorado and Canyon, GM sales jumped 18.3% to 202,786. Without them, GM sales were up 13.5% to 194,639, slightly behind the growth rate of the overall industry.

In their previous best month, December, the new versions of the Colorado and Canyon accounted for just 2% of GM’s U.S. volume. That figure doubled to 4% in January, of far greater value (on volume terms) than the Chevrolet Sonic and Spark (3.3%), Cadillac’s cars (2.7%), commercial vans (2.8%), or the Aussie-import SS and Caprice (0.1%).

We previously established that the trucks earned 31.8% of the small/midsize truck segment, a category dominated by the Toyota Tacoma. That compares unfavourably with the 34.6% market share GM earned in the full-size truck segment last month. But the smaller twins are still making headway, with the new Chevrolet Colorado overtaking the Nissan Frontier for the first time in January and the new GMC Canyon topping the 2K mark for the first time.

Back to their impact at General Motors specifically, the Colorado and Canyon generated 14.3% of the company’s pickup truck sales in January; 5.9% of GM’s overall light truck volume. Those are huge increases from the 6.4% pickup truck share and 2.9% light truck share that GM’s new midsize trucks earned in the GM U.S. realm in December and the 4.7% and 2.2% figures the pickups put up in November.

Therefore, we’ve likely not seen the full range of their capability when it comes to attracting U.S. pickup truck buyers. But what kind of tidal change is required for these trucks to return to the levels achieved a decade ago? Chevrolet sold 128,359 Colorados in the United States in 2005, or approximately 10,700 per month. Canyon volume was running at nearly 3000 monthly sales in 2005.

The difficulty? Matching those sales in a market that has long since shifted to full-size pickups.

The possibilities? GM’s trucks aren’t competing with the Ranger, Dakota, Raider, Equator, B-Series, or Isuzu i-Series trucks, pickups which produced 7.2% of the total pickup truck category’s volume in 2005 and fully one-third of small/midsize truck sales that year.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.

]]>http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/02/new-colorado-canyon-now-worthwhile-parts-gms-u-s-lineup/feed/9GM Already Adding Third Shift At Mid-Size Truck Planthttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/09/gm-already-adding-third-shift-mid-size-truck-plant/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/09/gm-already-adding-third-shift-mid-size-truck-plant/#commentsWed, 17 Sep 2014 16:04:07 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=913754GM’s new mid-size pickup trucks aren’t even on sale yet, but the auto maker is already preparing to add a third shift at its Wentzville, Missouri assembly plant, which will result in 750 additional jobs. The third shift will come online in early 2015. GM claims to have received as many as 30,000 dealer orders […]

GM’s new mid-size pickup trucks aren’t even on sale yet, but the auto maker is already preparing to add a third shift at its Wentzville, Missouri assembly plant, which will result in 750 additional jobs.

The third shift will come online in early 2015. GM claims to have received as many as 30,000 dealer orders for the mid-sizers so far – whether they end up in customer hands without major incentives or discounts is a whole other matter.

Aside from regulatory issues, pricing has been a big problem for smaller trucks. There generally aren’t enough customers willing to pay full-size truck money (when incentives, generous ones at that) are taken into account, for a small or mid-size truck. Yes, there are plenty of logical reasons why an individual would want one. But the business case is rarely there, and the general ethos of “bigger truck = better/more macho/more impressive” doesn’t help matters either.

I’m interested to see what GM will do in terms of marketing these trucks. As another reader noted, it will be tough to advertise the mid-size trucks, and then run ads for full-size trucks showing incentives worth thousands of dollars, if not more. The other scenario is that GM will have to discount the mid-size trucks almost immediately to ensure a healthy gap between the trucks and their pricing structure.

]]>http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/08/chevrolet-colorado-gmc-canyon-pricing-announced/feed/149Chicago 2014: Deep Dive with the 2015 Chevrolet Coloradohttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/02/chicago-2014-deep-dive-with-the-2015-chevrolet-colorado/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/02/chicago-2014-deep-dive-with-the-2015-chevrolet-colorado/#commentsThu, 06 Feb 2014 10:54:11 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=734601A few short hours ago, I was in McCormick Place with a handful of auto journalists and GM’s 2015 Chevy Colorado team. It was a lucky break- a last-minute invitation to meet with some GM brass before the hectic onslaught of the 2014 Chicago Auto Show’s press days and ask them the questions that my […]

A few short hours ago, I was in McCormick Place with a handful of auto journalists and GM’s 2015 Chevy Colorado team. It was a lucky break- a last-minute invitation to meet with some GM brass before the hectic onslaught of the 2014 Chicago Auto Show’s press days and ask them the questions that my fellow alt-fuel/cleantech gear heads wanted answers to.

So, here it is: the 2015 Chevy Colorado, in the 72 dpi digitized flesh and packed with some seriously trick goodies. Will this (and its GMC Canyon twin) be enough to reclaim the compact truck throne, however? You’d better believe it- the Colorado is that good!

2015 Chevy Colorado: the Look

Make no mistake, this is one seriously good-looking trucklet. Chevy’s 2015 Colorado is a true mid-sizer, but the look is more F-150-fighter than Nissan Frontier. Size-wise, more than one of my fellow deep-divers commented that “it’s the perfect size”, and I think it’s just short enough to make a reasonable case for having one in Chicago.

As you take a look at the photos of the Z71 off-roader version of the Colorado, look at the soft, velvety look of the black plastics and the crisp inner workings of the headlight. This is a far cry from the old S-10 EXtreme and its “generic level 2″ plastics.

Is that game-changer? I’m much more excited about my Pandora stations than I am about XM/Sirius, so- yes? Just pretend you can already hear my blasting Shakira and Ke$ha as loud as the Chevy Colorado’s speakers will let me.

2015 Chevy Colorado: Seating

The biggest complaint anyone ever had about a compact pickup (think old Chevy S-10, 90s-00s Ford Ranger, etc.) wasn’t that they weren’t capable enough, it’s that getting in and out of the things was always a pain. It was a pain when I was 23, and it would be a bigger pain today, more than a decade later. I’d never climb over a front seat to get into a side-facing jumper again, and- in a truck that’s the size of the new 2015 Chevy Colorado, I won’t have to.

Ingress and egress seems straight-forward enough. You just open the solidly-mounted, triple-sealed doors, climb into the quality-feeling vinyl/cloth seats, and shut the door with a satisfying, Mercedes C-Class level “whooomp”. Actually, open the door and slam it shut a few more times. It is a hugely satisfying feeling that was totally absent in my 1991 GMC Jimmy, even with the rose-colored lenses of nostalgia firmly in place.

The 2015 Chevy Colorado has a cleverly adjustable seatbelt that adjusts at the shoulder AND at the hip. More comfortable belts are more likely to be worn, so this is a huge step towards 100% adoption of belts- especially out in rural ‘Murica where the Big Gulp comes in more than one size of early-onset diabetes.

2015 Chevy Colorado: the Tough Questions

I hate to tell you this, guys- but I didn’t get the scoop on the 2015 Chevy Colorado’s EPA fuel economy. I can’t tell you what the EPA numbers on the 2016 diesel will be, either. I also couldn’t tell you if the truck is E15 or E20 compatible, because the GM engineer on hand (a lovely, polite woman who I mistook for another journalist, despite the Riot Grrl leanings of my youth) didn’t know. I also couldn’t tell you if GM plans to include the Colorado in its CNG fleet plans, but I was told, wink-wink, nudge-nudge style, to expect a bi-fuel announcement from GM soon.

A few things I did find out? The upcoming V6 version of the 2015 Chevy Colorado- which uses the same 3.6 liter VVT V6 engine used in Cadillacs and Buicks …

… and that, in truck duty, the V6 is expected to be able to haul up to 6700 lbs (!?). That’s more than enough to safely haul any number of RVs, fishing boats, and (dare I say it?) race cars- and the Colorados will be available with fully integrated receiver hitches and easy-to-access wiring for 4 and 7 pin connectors.

So, that’s something- no? What do you guys think? Am I right in thinking Chevy’s hit a home run with this new 2015 Colorado, or do you think Nissan and Dodge will out-Darwin it with their 28 MPG full-size diesel half-tons? Let us know what you think in the comments, below. Enjoy!

]]>http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/01/2015-gmc-canyon-revealed/feed/120Chevy Gives Us An Idea Of The Size Of The New Colorado Ahead Of LA Revealhttp://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/11/chevy-gives-us-an-idea-of-the-size-of-the-new-colorado-ahead-of-la-reveal/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/11/chevy-gives-us-an-idea-of-the-size-of-the-new-colorado-ahead-of-la-reveal/#commentsWed, 13 Nov 2013 10:30:22 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=649650Having already launched the all new fullsize 2014 Silverado & GMC Sierra pickups and 2015 Heavy Duty versions of those trucks this year, General Motors is turning its attention to midsize trucks as it gets ready to reveal the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon later this month at the Los Angeles Auto Show. GM has […]

]]>Having already launched the all new fullsize 2014 Silverado & GMC Sierra pickups and 2015 Heavy Duty versions of those trucks this year, General Motors is turning its attention to midsize trucks as it gets ready to reveal the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon later this month at the Los Angeles Auto Show. GM has already teased photos of parts of those trucks’ front ends and now they’ve released another image, this time of a draped Colorado sitting next to the new Silverado.

While the new truck is covered up, the photo does give us an idea of its scale, which appears to be significantly larger than the previous Colorado. Production will begin next year at GM’s Wentzville, Missouri assembly plant. Chevy says that it “is engineered to be the most capable, most versatile and technologically advanced midsized truck in the market.”. You can watch the reveal live from the LA show on November 20 here.

]]>http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/11/chevy-gives-us-an-idea-of-the-size-of-the-new-colorado-ahead-of-la-reveal/feed/49GM Will Introduce Two Mid-Size Pickups For 2015http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/04/gm-will-introduce-two-mid-size-pickups-for-2015/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/04/gm-will-introduce-two-mid-size-pickups-for-2015/#commentsWed, 03 Apr 2013 15:48:55 +0000http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=483445GM will have two new mid-size pickups out in 2015, just in time to steal the spotlight from the all-new Ford F-150. And according to TTAC Commenter and GM exec Mark Reuss, the two trucks should have fairly different missions. Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Reuss said that the Chevrolet pickup will be a […]

GM will have two new mid-size pickups out in 2015, just in time to steal the spotlight from the all-new Ford F-150. And according to TTAC Commenter and GM exec Mark Reuss, the two trucks should have fairly different missions.

Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Reuss said that the Chevrolet pickup will be a “lifestyle” oriented truck, while GMC’s truck would be aimed at fleets and small businesses. Reuss also said that the new trucks would have all-new powertrains and be slightly larger than a Toyota Tacoma. We can only hope that this includes some kind of diesel, perhaps the Duramax that’s offered in the Thai version of the Chevrolet Colorado.

Perhaps our Aussie/global readers can fill us in on the subtitles of the Colorado vs. Hilux debate as well.